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The British administration is being called upon to "step up" and cover the £24.5 million cost incurred during the recent visits by former President Trump and JD Vance to the Scottish nation, according to a top Scottish minister.

Significant Provisional Costs Disclosed

Provisional expenses amounting to nearly £24.5m for the two working visits have been made public by the administration in Edinburgh.

Public Finance Minister McKee described the Westminster's refusal to offer financial support as "absurd," arguing that both visits were clearly official, noting that the American leader held discussions with European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen and UK prime minister Keir Starmer during his July stay in the northern nation.

Particulars of the Visits and Related Policing Costs

Donald Trump visited his golfing resorts at Turnberry in Ayrshire and Menie in Aberdeenshire over a five-day period in the summer, while American VP JD Vance spent around a long weekend in the Ayrshire region in late summer.

In a formal letter to the Treasury minister Chief Secretary Murray, Scotland’s finance secretary stated that the visits placed "significant strains and costs on Scottish public services, especially Police Scotland."

The Scottish government calculates that the provisional cost for securing the president's trip alone was £21 million, which involved peak daily deployments of more than 4,000 officers, while costs for the VP's visit were approximately £3m.

Complex Security Mission

This complex security mission was the biggest in Scotland since the death of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022, and involved regional police, specialist units, volunteer officers and wider UK colleagues for expert assistance.

The Finance Secretary stated: "Following your decision not to provide funding to Scotland for expenses accrued in relation to the visit of Donald Trump to the nation in summer 2025 and the following trip of VP Vance, I am contacting you to request that you reconsider this stance and provide full reimbursement for the expense of the visits."

Westminster Reply and Past Precedent

The British administration maintained that the visits were private and "not official UK government business." A spokesperson commented: "Holyrood must cover policing costs in Scotland as per agreed devolved funding arrangements."

While the Finance Secretary referenced previous precedent where the British administration covered the cost of the president's 2018 trip to the nation, it is understood that trip followed a official UK government invitation, in which instance it included protection expenses under its statement of funding policy.

"Westminster needs to step up and pay. I think it’s unreasonable, it was obviously a work visit … Especially when you have the PM Keir Starmer spending time with Donald Trump, having press conferences with him, conducting global diplomacy with him, its really stretching the bounds of credibility to say this was just a personal vacation."